The built in accelerometer and gyroscope module would enable handwriting recognition as well, so conceivably, you could write something down on paper using a regular old ink and pen and the Apple Ring would be able to read it digitally.
Advertisement
Using a mix of input methods from its touch screen and buttons to voice command and even gestures, the ring could be used to operate a number of other devices, like an iPhone or Apple TV, Homekit smart home devices or in-car entertainment systems like CarPlay. It now appears that Apple could in fact be called upon in the very near future to start a variety of secret wearable device projects. Potentially, you could talk to your ring to dictate a message, and send it on your phone or tablet via text, email, or a notes app. The ring could also vibrate for notifications and other alerts. Not big as the Apple Watch, the ring is described in the patent as the biggest substitute of the company’s present wearable tech.
Apple has a few things to say on the subject, though the patent details are abstract.
The patent background explains how nearly all electronics in the smartphone industry now have touch-screens, and that spending excessive time with these devices is cumbersome and also not healthy for cognitive thinking.
“The light emitted by a touchscreen may be inappropriate in certain social environments or even unsafe if it gives away the position of a threatened user”, Apple said in the patent. A need therefore exists for a more discreet, safer, more efficient, or more ergonomic way to interact with touch pads or touch screens. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in relation to a smart ring.
[Claim #8.] The device…further comprising a sensor for sensing a writing motion of the user, wherein the wireless transceiver transmits information to the at least one external electronic device related to characters written by the user.
The wearer could indicate their desire to link with another device through gesture control. The patent belongs to Apple who is keen to penetrate the wearable market in the forthcoming years. The ring’s biometric sensors could also act as a fitness tracker for the wearer, and NFC could be used in mobile payments.
Advertisement
Is an “iRing” coming to a finger near you soon? And with people just now latching onto the concept of smartwatches, a smart ring might prove a hard sell.
